Variable-length coding data transfer interface

ABSTRACT

A VLC data transfer interface is presented that allows digital data to be packed and assembled according to a format selectable from a number of formats while the data is being transferred to a desired destination.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention generally relates to computer systems, and moreparticularly relates to the interface between a Variable-Length Coding(VLC) device and a data transfer (e.g., direct memory access) device forMPEG-4.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Moving Pictures Experts Groups (MPEG) is an International StandardsOrganization (ISO) standard for compressing video data. Videocompression is important in making video data files, such as full-lengthmovies, more manageable for storage (e.g., in optical storage media),processing, and transmission. In general, MPEG compression is achievedby eliminating redundant and irrelevant information. Because videoimages typically consist of smooth regions of color across the screen,video information generally varies little in space and time. As such, asignificant part of the video information in an image is predictable andtherefore redundant. Hence, a first objective in MPEG compression is toremove the redundant information and leaving only the true orunpredictable information. On the other hand, irrelevant video imageinformation is information that cannot be seen by the human eye undercertain reasonable viewing conditions. For example, the human eye isless perceptive to noise at high spatial frequencies than noise at lowspatial frequencies and less perceptive to loss of details immediatelybefore and after a scene change. Accordingly, the second objective inMPEG compression is to remove irrelevant information. The combination ofredundant information removal and irrelevant information removal allowsfor highly compressed video data files.

MPEG compression incorporates various well-known techniques to achievethe above objectives including: motion-compensated prediction, DiscreteCosine Transform (DCT), quantization, and Variable-Length Coding (VLC).DCT is an algorithm that converts pixel data into sets of spatialfrequencies with associated coefficients. Due to the non-uniformdistribution of the DCT coefficients wherein most of the non-zero DCTcoefficients of an image tend to be located in a general area, VLC isused to exploit this distribution characteristic to identify non-zeroDCT coefficients from zero DCT coefficients. In so doing,redundant/predictable information can be removed. Additionally, havingdecomposed the video image into spatial frequencies under DCT means thathigher frequencies via their associated DCT coefficients can be codedwith less precision than the lower frequencies via their associated DCTcoefficients thereby allowing irrelevant information to be removed.Hence, quantization may be generalized as a step to weight the DCTcoefficients based on the amount of noise that the human eye cantolerate at each spatial frequency so that a reduced set of coefficientscan be generated.

Compressed video data is vulnerable to transmission errors. MPEG-4offers error resilience tools to localize the effects of errors,re-establish synchronization, and recover erroneous data. The end resultis more reliable data transmission. These tools include data partition,packetization, and reversible VLC (RVLC). Data partitioning is designedto localize and isolate the effects of errors by separating andpartitioning motion and shape data from texture data in a video packet.The data partition mode utilizes DC-markers (for intra-frames) andmotion markers for (inter-frames) to achieve these objectives. The datapartition mode also involves a different way to code the coefficients. Avideo packet is made up of one or several macroblocks. A frame (a.k.a.Video Object Plane in MPEG-4 terminology) may consist of zero, one, orseveral packets. Each packet starts with markers and the packet header.The data in each packet are encoded independently relative to otherpackets. Data partition mode in MPEG-4 requires data in any packet to bedivided into three parts. Each part consists of bitstream componentsfrom all macroblocks in the packet. During data partition mode, a packetsize (i.e., the number of data bits in the packet) is limited to 2048bits for simple profile level-1 video bitstream, 4096 bits for simpleprofile level-2 video bitstream, and 8192 bits for simple profilelevel-3 video bitstream.

Video packetization mode utilizes Resynchronization Marker (RSM) andHeader Extension Code (HEC) before the first macroblock during encoding.When data is corrupted or damaged, during the decoding process, thenon-recoverable data can be localized and discarded until the next RSM.In the event the VOP code is corrupted, HEC provides additionalinformation to enable the decoder to determine to which VOP a resyncpacket belongs. RVLC mode requires that texture data to be capable ofbeing decoded in both the forward and reverse directions therebyenabling the decoder to better localize the error between two RSMs. Thisis achieved through the use of prefix property (same as regular VLC) andsuffix property.

Under MPEG-4, there are different bit packing formats for output VLCdata. In the bypass mode data is encoded only at the macroblock layer.Hence, data is formatted such that a macroblock header precedes themacroblock data. FIG. 1A illustrates as an example the bypass bitpacking format wherein MB₀hdr is the header associated with macroblock0, MB₀data is the data associated with macroblock 0, MB₁hdr is theheader associated with macroblock 1, MB₁data is the data associated withmacroblock 1, and so on. In the VLC mode with no data partition, data isformatted as illustrated in FIG. 1B. As shown in FIG. 1B, a frame headeris at the beginning follows by MB₀hdr1 the header associated withmacroblock 0, MB₀hdr2 the motion vector data associated with macroblock0 (which is needed if an inter-macroblock is involved), MB₀data thedata/texture associated with macroblock 0. The pattern repeats forsubsequent macroblocks. At some point (e.g., after macroblock 7) of thebitstream data, a new data packet begins with a packet header which isfollowed by MB₈hdr1 the header associated with macroblock 8, MB₈hdr2 themotion vector data associated with macroblock 0 (which is needed if aninter-macroblock is involved), MB₈data is the data/texture associatedwith macroblock 8, and the pattern described above is repeated.

In the VLC mode with data partition, data can be formatted threedifferent ways as illustrated in FIG. 1C-1E. In the first format whichis designed to accommodate an intra-macroblock in an I-frame, the six DCcoefficients for the different blocks in a macroblock are includedtogether with the header data 1. More particularly, as shown in FIG. 1C,a frame header is at the beginning to be followed by header data 1 withthe DC coefficients, header data 2 associated with the motion vectordata associated with the present macroblock (which is needed if aninter-macroblock is involved), and finally the texture (macroblock)data. The pattern repeats for subsequent macrobocks. Since datapartition is involved, a DC marker is typically inserted between theheader data 1 with DC coefficients and the header data 2 if themacroblock type is intra. Motion marker is inserted if the macroblocktype is inter. At some point (e.g., after macroblock 3) of the bitstreamdata, a new data packet begins with a packet header which is followed byheader data 1 with the DC coefficients, header data 2, and themacroblock data. The pattern described above is repeated.

In the second format which is designed to accommodate anintra-macroblock in a P-frame, the six DC coefficients for the differentblocks in a macroblock are included together with the header data 2.More particularly, as shown in FIG. 1D, a frame header is at thebeginning to be followed by header data 1, header data 2 with the DCcoefficients, and finally the texture (macroblock) data. The patternrepeats for subsequent macrobocks. Header data 2 is the motion vectordata associated with the present macroblock (which is needed if aninter-macroblock is involved). Since data partition is involved, amotion marker is typically inserted between the header data 2 with DCcoefficients and the texture data if the macro-block type is inter. DCMarker is inserted if the macroblock type is intra. At some point (e.g.,after macroblock 3) of the bitstream data, a new data packet begins witha packet header which is followed by header data, follows by header data2 with the DC coefficients, follows by the macroblock data.

In the third format which is designed to accommodate an inter-macroblockin a P-frame, the six DC coefficients for the different blocks in amacroblock are included together with the texture (macroblock) data.More particularly, as shown in FIG. 1E, a frame header is at thebeginning to be followed by header data 1, header data 2, and thetexture (macroblock) data with the DC coefficients. The pattern repeatsfor subsequent macrobocks. Header data 2 is the motion vector dataassociated with the present macroblock (which is needed if aninter-macroblock is involved). Since data partition is involved, amotion marker DC marker is typically inserted between the texture datawith DC coefficients and the next section of the sequence if themacro-block type is inter. DC Marker is inserted if the macroblock typeis intra. At some point (e.g., after macroblock 3) of the bitstreamdata, a new data packet begins with a packet header which is followed byheader data 1, header data 2, and the macroblock data with the DCcoefficients. The bit packing formats for the RVLC mode with and withoutdata partition are identical to those described earlier for the VLC modewith and without data partition, respectively.

Wireless data transmission standards such as h.263 have substantiallysimilar bit packing formats as those for VLC and RVLC mode with datapartition described above. However, the only difference is that packetheaders for the h.263 standard are shorter in length than those forMPEG-4.

Conventionally, to perform bit packing in different formats such asthose described earlier, a VLC memory is required to store the outputVLC data components (e.g., header data, texture data, etc.). The VLCdata components are stored in the VLC memory in which headers and motionvectors are received out of sequence with associated texture data. Thememory interface unit selectively accesses the appropriate data storedin the VLC memory one component at a time and then writes it into adifferent memory location of the same VLC memory used in stitchingtogether the data according to the required format. Hence, thisdifferent memory location stores the data as it is beingpacked/assembled and/or formatted at various phases of completion. Atcompletion, the packed and/or formatted data is then read and written tothe desired destination (e.g., a memory). This approach is not desirablebecause of the large VLC memory required to store the VLC data and thepartially assembled/packed data at different stages as well as theintensive processing power required to read and write data componentsfrom/to the VLC memory during the assembling/formatting process.Moreover, because additional read and write operations for output atcompletion are required, additional valuable computing resources arerequired. Furthermore, the above approach requires a great deal ofsynchronization because the data components are generated and/or updatedat different times.

Thus, a need exists for a method and apparatus to pack VLC video data indifferent formats that require less memory, processing resources, andsynchronization.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the present invention provides a method and apparatus topack VLC video data in different formats that require less memory,processing resources, and synchronization.

The present invention meets the above need with a memory interface toperform data bit packing according to different selectable formats. Thememory interface comprises a buffer, a memory, and a data transferlogic. The buffer stores different categories of data received from adata source in corresponding sections. In the preferred embodiment, thedata source is a Variable Length Coding (VLC) module. The data transferlogic is connected between the buffer and the memory. Depending on aselected format, the data transfer logic receives data from the bufferand directly transfers the data to the memory such that when thetransferred data is received in the memory, the transferred data isorganized according to the selected format. In so doing, no extra memoryaccess (e.g., read and/or write operations) is required, no extra memoryis needed to store the partially assembled data, and no complicatedsynchronization is needed. In the preferred embodiment, the datatransfer logic further performs adjustments on the transferred data suchas byte-aligning, byte-stuffing, etc as may be dictated by the selectedformat.

All the features and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent from the following detailed description of its preferredembodiments whose description should be taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1A-1E illustrates, as examples, the different VLC packing dataformats for MPEG-4.

FIG. 2 illustrates, for example, a high-level diagram of a computingdevice 200 which implements the present invention.

FIG. 3 illustrates in greater detail graphics/display controller 207 ofthe computing device 200.

FIG. 4 illustrates the relevant components of an embodiment of MPEGencoder 313 which implements the present invention.

FIG. 5 illustrates the relevant components of an exemplary embodiment ofVLC interface which implements the present invention.

FIG. 6 illustrates the relevant components of an exemplary embodiment ofrisc data transfer core 416.

FIG. 7 illustrates some of the relevant states in an exemplaryembodiment of state machine 607.

FIG. 8A illustrates an examplary data storage structure in the encodedbitstream buffer of memory 404 at the conclusion of a bypass-I or abypass-P data transfer.

FIG. 8B illustrates an examplary data storage structure in the encodedbitstream buffer of memory 404 at the conclusion of either a VLCnon-data partition or RVLC non-data partition data transfer.

FIG. 8C illustrates an examplary data storage structure in the encodedbitstream buffer of memory 404 at the conclusion of a VLC, RVLC, orh.263 data partition data transfer for DCMode=00.

FIG. 8D illustrates an examplary data storage structure in the encodedbitstream buffer of memory 404 at the conclusion of a VLC, RVLC, orh.263 data partition data transfer for DCMode=01.

FIG. 8E illustrates an examplary data storage structure in the encodedbitstream buffer of memory 404 at the conclusion of a VLC, RVLC, orh.263 data partition data transfer for DCMode=10.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In the following detailed description of the present invention, numerousspecific details are set forth in order to provide a thoroughunderstanding of the present invention. However, it will be obvious toone skilled in the art that the present invention may be practicedwithout these specific details. In other instances well known methods,procedures, components, and circuits have not been described in detailas not to unnecessarily obscure aspects of the present invention. Whilethe following detailed description of the present invention applies toMPEG-4 bit packing formats, it is to be appreciated that the presentinvention is also applicable to bit packing formats for other standardsinvolving video, audio, text, software, and other types of data.

In accordance to the present invention, digital data is packed/assembledaccording to a format selectable from a number of formats while the datais being transferred to a desired destination. In one embodiment, thedigital data involved is the VLC output data, the desired destination isa memory, and the memory transfer mode is Direct Memory Transfer (DMA).More particularly, an interface is provided in which the VLC output datais separated into different data components according to categories(e.g., headers, texture data, and others) and stored in separatecorresponding locations in a VLC output buffer. In response to requestand command signals from the VLC, the Reduced Instruction Set Codes(RISC) data transfer core directly sends the data components tolocations in a destination memory such that the data components arearranged according to the desired packing format. The RISC data transfercore further make adjustments (e.g., insert stuffing bytes) to the datacomponents as required by the commands. In so doing, no additionalmemory is required to store partially assembled/packed data at differentstages of completion, no additional read and write operations arerequired to transfer the complete assembled/packed and/or formatteddata, and no complex synchronization scheme is required. Accordingly,the amount of required memory, processing resources, and logic areminimized while data throughput is increased.

Reference is now made to FIG. 2 illustrates, as an example, a high-leveldiagram of computer system 200 in which the present invention may beimplemented or practiced. More particularly, computer system 200 may bea laptop or hand-held computer system. It is to be appreciated thatcomputer system 200 is exemplary only and that the present invention canoperate within a number of different computer systems including desktopcomputer systems, general-purpose computer systems, embedded computersystems, and others.

As shown in FIG. 2, computer system 200 is a highly integrated systemwhich includes of integrated processor circuit 201, peripheralcontroller 202, read-only-memory (ROM) 203., and random access memory(RAM) 204. The highly integrated architecture allows power to beconserved. Peripheral controller 202 is optional if there is a need tointerface with complex and/or high pin-count peripherals that are notprovided in integrated processor circuit 201.

While peripheral controller 202 is connected to integrated processorcircuit 201 on one end, ROM 203 and RAM 204 are connected to integratedprocessor circuit 201 on the other end. Integrated processor circuit 201comprises a processing unit 205, memory interface 206, graphics/displaycontroller 207, direct memory access (DMA) controller 208, and corelogic functions including encoder/decoder (CODEC) interface 209,parallel interface 210, serial interface 211, and input device interface212. Processing unit 105 integrates a central processing unit (CPU), amemory management unit (MMU), together with instruction/data caches.

CODEC interface 209 provides the interface for an audio source and/ormodem to connect to integrated processor circuit 101. Parallel interface210 allows parallel input/output (I/O) devices such as hard disks,printers, etc. to connect to integrated processor circuit 201. Serialinterface 211 provides the interface for serial I/O devices such asUniversal Asynchronous Receiver Transmitter (UART), Universal Serial Bus(USB), and Firewire (IEEE 1394) to connect to integrated processorcircuit 201. Input device interface 212 provides the interface for inputdevices such as keyboard, mouse, and touch pad to connect to integratedprocessor circuit 201.

DMA controller 208 accesses data stored in RAM 204 via memory interface206 and provides the data to peripheral devices connected to CODECinterface 209, parallel interface 210, serial interface 211, or inputdevice interface 212. DMA controller 208 also sends data from CODECinterface 209, parallel interface 210, serial interface 211, and inputdevice interface 212 to RAM 204 via memory interface 206.Graphics/display controller 207 requests and accesses the video/graphicsdata from RAM 204 via memory interface 206. Graphics/display controller207 then processes the data, formats the processed data, and sends theformatted data to a display device such as a liquid crystal display(LCD), a cathode ray tube (CRT), or a television (TV) monitor. Incomputer system 200, a single memory bus is used to connect integratedprocessor circuit 201 to ROM 203 and RAM 204.

In the current embodiment, the present invention is implemented as partof graphics/display controller 207. Reference is now made to FIG. 3illustrating in greater detail graphics/display controller 207. Ingeneral, graphics/display controller 207 comprises CPU Interface Unit(CIF) 301, SRAM 302, Phase Lock Loop (PLL) circuit 303, oscillator 304,pixel processing logic 308, Graphics Engine (GE) 306, Memory InterfaceUnit (MIU) 307, Flat Panel Interface (FPI) 309, CRT Digital-to-AnalogConverter (DAC) 310, post-processing module 311, MPEG-4 video decoder312, and MPEG-4 video encoder 313. Graphics/display controller 207further includes a video input port to accommodate a video camera or anyother input video signal including playback of a stored video inputwhether analog or digital. CIF 301 provides the interface to processingunit 205 and DMA controller 208. Accordingly, CIF 301 routes requestsand video/image data received from processing unit 205 to the desireddestination. In particular, CIF 301 sends register read/write requestsand memory read/write requests from the host CPU processing unit 205 andDMA controller 208 to the appropriate modules in graphics/displaycontroller 207. For example, memory read/write requests are passed on toMIU 307 which in turn reads/writes the data from/to the frame buffer inSRAM 302. CIF 301 also serves as the liaison with DMA controller 208 tofetch data from system memory (ROM 203 and RAM 204) and provides thedata to GE 306 and MIU 307. Further, CIF 301 has a number of controlregisters which can be programmed by the host CPU in processing unit 205to control the MPEG post-processing process (e.g., the content of someof the control registers may be used to configure MPEG-4 decoder 312).CIF 301 also passes compressed video/image bitstream to MPEG-4 decoder312 to perform image construction/decompression. CIF 301 further passesuncompressed video/image bitstream received from a source connected tocodec interface 209 or serial interface 211 to MPEG-4 encoder 313 toperform compression before the compressed bitstream can be transmittedto a device connected directly or remotely to integrated processorcircuit 201.

The frame buffer in SRAM 302 is used to store the pixmap (i.e., a pixelpattern mapped into the frame buffer) of the image to be displayed onthe monitor as well to act as a temporary buffer for various purposes.Additionally, SRAM 302 may have memory allocated for video buffers andtransactional registers. GE 306 processes graphics/video image datawhich is then stored in the buffer in SRAM 302 based on commands issuedby the host CPU. GE 306 performs graphics operations (e.g., BitBLTs andROPs, area fills, line drawing) and provides hardware support forclipping, transparency, rotation, color expansion, and others. GE 306through a built-in Stretch Block Transfer (STRBLT) function furtherperforms video image expansion, progressive scanning conversion, YcbCr(YUV) to RGB color-space conversion, etc. In short, GE 306 freesprocessing unit 205 from the video/graphics display rendering functionto allow processing unit 205 to perform time-critical or real-timeoperations.

MIU 307 controls all read and write transactions from/to the framebuffer, video buffers, and transactional registers in SRAM (framebuffer) 302. Such read and write requests may come from the host CPU viaCIF 301, GE 306, pixel processing logic 308, FPI 309, etc. In addition,MIU 307 performs tasks associated with memory addressing, memory timingcontrol, and others. Post-processing module 311 removes blocking andringing artifacts from decompressed MPEG video image data to improve thequality of the decompressed video data. The decompressed MPEG videoimage data can be received from, for example, an optical media playervia serial interface 211 or MPEG-4 decoder 312. The filtered video imagedata is then sent to SRAM 302.

Pixel processing logic 308 retrieves video/graphics data from thebuffers in SRAM 302 via MIU 307, serializes the image data into pixels,and formats the pixels into predetermined formats before outputting themto FPI 309 or CRT DAC 310. Accordingly, pixel processing logic 308generates the required horizontal and vertical display timing signals,memory addresses, read requests, and control signals to access imagedata stored in SRAM 302. If the display device involved is a LCD, pixeldata from pixel processing logic 308 is sent to FPI 309 before beingpassed on to the LCD. FPI 309 further processes the data by furtheradding different color hues or gray shades for display. Additionally,depending on whether a thin film transistor (TFT) LCD (a.k.a., activematrix LCD) or a super twisted nematic (STN) LCD (a.k.a., passive matrixLCD) is used, FPI 309 formats the data to suit the type of display.Furthermore, FPI 309 allows color data to be converted into monochromedata in the event a monochrome LCD is used. Conversely, if the displaydevice is a cathode ray tube (CRT), pixel data is provided to CRTdigital-to-analog converter (DAC) 310 prior to being sent to the CRT.CRT DAC 310 converts digital pixel data from pixel processing logic 308to analog Red Green and Blue (RGB) signals to be displayed on the CRTmonitor.

Reference is now made to FIG. 4 illustrating in greater detail exemplaryMPEG-4 video encoder 313 that implements an embodiment of the presentinvention. As shown in FIG. 4, MPEG-4 video encoder 313 includes motioncompensator (−) (MC−) 401, DCT module 402, quantizer 403, memory 404,buffer 405, inverse quantizer 406, Inverse DCT (IDCT) module 407, motioncompensator (+) (MC+) 408, cache 409, motion estimator 410, rate controlmodule 411, alternative coefficient/discrete coefficient (AC/DC) module412, scan module 413, run-length event (RLE) module 414, variable lengthcoding (VLC) 415, and risc data transfer core 416. It is clear that thescope of the present invention covers embodiments in which the MPEG-4video encoder (i.e., the video encoding function) resides externally andindependently of graphics/display controller 207.

Video input from a source such as a video camera connected to system 200is provided to memory 404. The video input from the source is thecurrent video frame data. Memory 404 is separated into a current framearea to store data from the current video input, a referenceframe/reconstructed frames area to store data from the reference videoframe and data from a video frame reconstructed from compression, and anencoded bitstream buffer to store data from a freshly encoded videoframe by encoder 313. Cache 409 fetches current video frame data frommemory 404 one macroblock at a time and reference video frame dataseveral macroblocks at a time (these several macroblocks are adjacentneighbors). Cache 409 receives as input the motion vectors associatedwith the “good” match video block determined from motion estimator 410.Cache 409 provides data from the current video frame and data from thereference video frame to MC− 401 and motion estimator 410 based on themotion vectors of the “good” match video block received. Cache 409 alsoprovides data from the reference video frame to MC+ 408 based on themotion vectors of the “good” match video block received. Each macroblocktypically has six blocks of data (YUV 4:2:0) in which four (Y0-Y3) areluminance data and two (U & V) are chrominance data.

MC− 401 is essentially a subtractor in which prediction data from areference video frame is subtracted from data from a current videoframe, which has been presented in the correct order for encodingaccording to the desired Group Of Pictures (GOP) structure. Thesubtractor is bypassed (e.g., the prediction is set to zero) forI-frames or I-macroblocks. The output of MC− 401, which is theprediction error (or the video input in the case of I-frames), is passedto DCT module 402 which performs the Discreet Cosine Transformation(DCT) and outputs DCT coefficients to quantizer 403. The DCTcoefficients generally include a single DC coefficient and a number ofAC coefficients. Some of the AC coefficients are non-zero. While the DCcoefficient represents the average value in the macroblock, the ACcoefficients represent various harmonic frequencies in the macroblock.The DCT coefficients are arranged in a coefficient block that isequivalent in size (8×8) to the pixel block. Quantizer 403 carries outthe quantization process which may be generalized as a step to weightthe DCT coefficients based on the amount of noise that the human eye cantolerate at each spatial frequency so that a reduced set of coefficientscan be generated. This may be generally accomplished by scaling thecoefficient signals using a scalar value Q_(P). This causes some of thesmall coefficients to be divided down and truncated to zero therebyreducing the number of quantization levels available for encoding. Thequantized DCT coefficients are provided to buffer 405 for temporarystorage before they are passed on to AC/DC prediction module 412 andinverse quantizer 406. In the preferred embodiment, buffer 405 is 48rows deep×96 bits wide dual port SRAM with one port dedicated for writeoperations from quantizer 403 and the other port dedicated for readoperations to inverse quantizer 406 and AC/DC prediction module 412.

AC is typically defined as a DCT coefficient for which the frequency inone or both dimensions is non-zero (higher frequency). DC is typicallydefined as a DCT coefficient for which the frequency is zero (lowfrequency) in both dimensions. AC/DC prediction module 412 predicts theAC and DC for the current block based on a gradient prediction analysisof the AC and DC values of adjacent blocks such as an adjacent left topblock, a top block, and an adjacent left block. For example, theprediction can be made as follows:if (|B−A|≧|B−C|) then X=Aelse X=Cwhere B is the AC or DC value of the left top block relative to thecurrent block, C is the AC or DC value of the top block relative to thecurrent block, A is the AC or DC value of the left block relative to thecurrent block, and X is the AC or DC value of the current block.

Buffer 405 stores the AC and DC coefficients values of the currentmacroblock X and at least the AC and DC coefficient values of adjacentmacroblocks A, B, and C relative to the current macroblock X. Adjacentmacroblocks A, B, and C are all processed before the current macroblocksso buffer 405 stores the coefficients of a predetermined number ofprocessed macroblocks received over time from quantizer 403. As each newmacroblock is processed, the content of buffer 405 isupdated/reorganized to reflect the appropriate adjacent macroblocks A,B, and C.

AC/DC prediction module 412 has a predetermined number of AC predictionmodes. AC/DC prediction module 412 selects one of the prediction modesand generates an AC prediction flag to identify a mode of operation.AC/DC prediction module 412 outputs a DC residual signal, AC signals(representing either AC coefficients or AC residuals), and AC predictionflag. Additional bandwidth efficiency can be achieved by tying a scandirection of VLC module 415 to AC/DC gradient prediction. For thisreason, AC/DC prediction module 412 provides the AC and DC predictedcoefficients to scan module 413 which forms a 64-elements long vectorfrom the two-dimensional array macroblock such that the low frequency(e.g., DC) components are placed at the beginning of the vector. Thegradient analysis and inter/intra analysis performed in AC/DC predictionmodule 412 is used to select one of three scan directions:Alternate-Horizontal, Alternate-Vertical, and ZigZag (ZZ). The scandirection dictates the order the AC & DC coefficients are accessed byscan module 412 to form the 64-elements vector.

Scan module 413 provides the vector of up-to 64-elements to RLE module414 to generate run-level events. In general, RLE module 414 determinesthe number of consecutive zeros in the vector and forms RLE acceptablewords based on the determination. After quantization, there are likely asignificant number of zeros (likely to be the high frequency components)in the block and there is no need to transmit or store such information.Accordingly, a RLE word represents the number of zeros betweenconsecutive non-zero elements in the vector. The RLE word also includesthe value of the last non-zero element after the zeros and informationindicating whether this value is the very last component in the vector.

The RLE words are provided to VLC module 404 which maps RLE words intoVLC patterns. For example, certain RLE words are given specific bitpattern. The most common RLE words are given the shortest VLC bitpattern. VLC patterns are specified in MPEG-4 standard. (See “MPEG-4Information Technology-Coding of Audio-Visual Objects-Part 2: Visual”ISO/IEC/14496-2:1999). Run-length and variable-length coding (thecombination coding) are commonly referred to as Huffman coding) and canbe combined into one VLC module. In general, due to the non-uniformdistribution of the DCT coefficients wherein most of the non-zero DCTcoefficients of an image tend to be located in a general area, VLC andrun-length encoding are used to exploit this distribution characteristicto identify non-zero DCT coefficients from zero DCT coefficients. In sodoing, redundant/predictable information can be removed. The encoded(i.e., compressed) block of video frame data is then sent to the encodedbitstream buffer of memory 404 via risc data transfer core 416. Theinterface between VLC 415 and risc data transfer core 416 is an exampleof the subject matter of the present invention.

The process of motion compensated prediction requires a signal on whichto base the prediction. This signal represents the reference/previousvideo frame data which is stored in the reference cache of memory 404.To ensure that the prediction process in MPEG-4 video encoder 313 basesits prediction on a signal that is substantially similar to thatavailable in MPEG-4 video decoder 312 (i.e., a remote video decoder), alocal decoder is included in video encoder 313 to generate a locallydecoded signal in the encoder. The local decoder, which consists ofinverse quantizer 406, IDCT 407, and MC+ 408, basically undoes theencoding stages of quantizer 403 and DCT 342 to produce a decodedprediction error and adds it back into a suitably delayed version of theprediction (reference frame) data to produce a locally decoded(reconstructed) signal with motion compensation. The delayed predictiondata is provided by cache 409.

The reconstructed signal is sent to the encoded bitstream buffer ofmemory 404 for storage. For each macroblock in the current video frame,motion estimator 410, which implements the present invention, searchesfor a “good” matched macroblock in the reference video frame based on aminimum SAD value. Motion estimator 310 receives as input blocks ofcurrent frame and reference frame data. Motion estimator 410 alsoreceives a signal indicating the frame type from rate control module411. Motion estimator 410 also determines the motion vector. Motionestimator 410 further determines whether a macroblock in the currentvideo frame is intra (encoded independently) or inter (encoded aftermotion compensation). These determinations are communicated to ratecontrol module 411 and AC/DC prediction module 412. The motion vectordeterminations are communicated to cache 409 and MC+ 408.

The rate of the bitstream output by VLC module 415 fluctuates over timedepending on the content of the video data (i.e., changing scenes andobjects). This variable bit rate is undesirable because the primaryobject of MPEG coding is to generate a constant bit rate to fit theavailable channel or in the case of statistical multiplexing to share aconstant bit rate between several video signals. It is then important toensure that the average bit-rate of the buffer input is the same as thatof the channel and neither buffer overflows or underflows. Rate controlmodule 311 is used to control the average bit rate at the bitstreambuffer in memory 404 to stay inside an acceptable limit range to preventoverflow and underflow. To achieve the average bit rate control, ratecontrol module 411 varies the quantization factors in quantizer 403 andAC/DC module 412. While coarser scale generates a lower average bitrate, at the expense of picture quality, a finer scale produces betterpictures but at a higher average bit rate. As the buffer fills,quantizer 403 and AC/DC module 412 get coarser, which tends to reducethe average bit rate, helping the buffer to empty. Additionally, ratecontrol module 411 takes into consideration the expected differences(e.g., through modeling projection) in bit rates generated by I and Pframes.

Referring now to FIG. 5 which illustrates a block diagram of therelevant components of an exemplary embodiment of the VLC data transferinterface 500 in accordance with the present invention. As shown in FIG.5, VLC data transfer interface includes risc data transfer core 416,buffer 501, and the encode bitstream buffer of memory 404. Risc datatransfer core 416 performs the data transfer from buffer 501 to theencoded bitstream buffer of memory 404.

Buffer 501 is used to store the output VLC data. In the currentembodiment, buffer 501 is a 1600-bytes buffer that is embedded in VLCmodule 415. It should be clear that buffer 501 can be an independentand/or external to VLC module 415. In accordance to the presentinvention, buffer 501 is virtually partitioned into a number of sectionsthat are used to store different data components. In the current contentthe term “virtually” means that there are no actual physical partitionto divide the buffer into sections. Rather, in some predetermined modes(e.g., VLC, data partition mode, and others), predetermined addressranges are assigned to corresponding sections. On the other hand, in thebypass mode involving an intra (I) frame, all header, motion vector, andtexture data comes from a contiguous buffer without any partition. Whenbuffer 501 is virtually partitioned, one section may be used to storeheader1 data (minimum 20 bytes), one section may be used to storeheader2 data (minimum 20 bytes), one section may be used to storetexture data (minimum 1488 bytes), one section may be used to stored DCdata (minimum 14 bytes), and one section may be used to store packetheader data (minimum 118 bytes). As data components are VLC coded, theyare categorized and placed in the corresponding sections of buffer 501.Each of the partitioned sections of buffer 501 has a predeterminedaddress for easy access. Under the bypass modes, only one header datatype is involved. Conversely, under the data partition and VLC non-datapartition and h.263 modes, there are two header data types. Hence, inthe VLC non-data partition mode, h.263 mode, and bypass mode involvingan intra (P) frame, header data is stored in the header1 data sectionand the sections designated for header2 data and DC data are unused.Table 1 below summarizes the types of data/information components thatare assigned to the different sections of buffer 501 under differentdata packing modes.

TABLE 1 Packet Header1 Header2 Texture DC Header Bypass Frame NAData/Texture NA NA Hdr & MB Hdr VLC/h.263 Frame MV Data Data/Texture NAPacket Non-Data Hdr & MB (Only Hdr Partition Hdr For Inter MB) DataFrame MV Data Data/Texture DC Packet Partition Hdr & MB (Only (Only HdrHdr For For Inter Intra MB) MB)

As shown in the FIG. 5, some of the exemplary interface signalsexchanged between VLC module 415 and risc data transfer core 416 includeVLCMode, DCMode, FrameType, XferClk, XferRE, XferReq, XferCmd, XferLink,XferData, XferLen, XferMask, XferSeg, XferLast, XferDone, andXferPktBitCnt.

Signal VLCMode indicates the bit packing format for the associated VLCdata. VLCMode=00 indicates the bypass mode format, VLCMode=01 indicatesthe VLC non-data partition mode format and h.263 mode format, andVLCMode=11 indicates the VLC data partition mode format and RVLC datapartition mode format.

Signal DCMode indicates how to insert the DC data into the bitstream inthe data partition mode. DCMode 00 indicates DC data is to be insertedinto the Header1 section, DCMode 01 indicates DC data is to be insertedinto the Header2 section, and DCMode 11 indicates DC data is to beinserted into the Texture data section.

Signal FrameType indicates the frame type for the associated data.FrameType=0 indicates an I (intra) frame. FrameType=1 indicates a P(inter) frame. Signal XferClk is the clock signal used in data transferread operations. Signal XferRE is the data transfer Read Enable signalused in indicating that risc data transfer core 416 is ready to performa read operation. Signal XferReq is the signal used by VLC module 415 toindicate that it is ready to transfer the current macroblock data.

Signal XferCmd indicates the command to be performed by risc datatransfer core 416 in conjunction with the current XferReg signal. Inother words, the command is latched on the current request. As examples,XferCmd=000 (i.e., simple transfer command) commands that data in buffer501 be transferred to memory 404 without any adjustment. The bit pointeris kept intact for the next transfer. XferCmd=001 (i.e., byte-align)commands that data in buffer 501 be transferred to memory 404 and thetransfer operation is completed on the current byte boundary withstuffing bytes added to the end of the current byte regardless of theXferLen and XferMask signals. In other words, a byte alignment isperformed in which the data transfer bit pointer is updated to the nextbyte address at the end of the current buffer transfer so as to allowcertain types of data such as frame and packet headers to start on a newbyte boundary. XferCmd=010 (i.e., byte-stuff no align) commands thatdata in buffer 501 be transferred to memory 404 followed by a number ofstuffing bytes as indicated by the XferLen signal. There is no bytealignment and the bit pointer is kept intact for the next transfer. Abyte-stuff operation is typically used during data partition mode whichrequires a minimum number of bits per packet (e.g., 1024 bits/packet forlevel-0, 2048 bits/packet for level-1, 4096 bits/packet for level-2, and8192 bits/packet for level-3). To avoid the need of a larger buffer 501and reduce the amount of transferred data, stuffing bytes are insertedafter the current packet header or between sequential packet headers tomeet the packet minimum. A byte-stuff operation may also be used whenthere is minimum packets per frame. XferCmd=011 (i.e., stuff bytes withalign) commands that data in buffer 501 be transferred to memory 404followed by a byte-alignment wherein stuffing bytes are added to the endof the current byte. The data transfer bit pointer is updated to thenext byte address. A number of stuffing bytes as indicated by XferLenare then added at the end to perform a byte-stuff operation. XferCmd=100(i.e., start new frame) commands that data in buffer 501 be transferredto memory 404 beginning a the next memory location (e.g., the next128-bit boundary). XferCmd=101 (i.e., start new packet) commands thatdata in buffer 501 be transferred to memory 404 beginning at the nextbyte location or beginning at the current byte location if already bytealigned. XferCmd=110 (i.e., flush) commands that data in a bit-shifterinternal of the risc data transfer core be flushed to synchronize dataat the end of frame and packet boundaries.

Signal XferLink commands that the packet start addresses and packet endaddresses of the current transfer be recorded in the link list buffer tobe used to locate packets in memory 404. Signal XferData indicates thetransferred data. Signal XferSeg indicates the segment/section of buffer501 from which the current data is being transferred. XferSeg=000indicates header data and frame header (i.e., section header 1).XferSeg=001 indicates motion vector data (i.e., section header 2).XferSeg=010 indicates texture data. XferSeg=011 indicates packet header.XferSeg=100 indicates DC coefficients. Signal XferLen indicates the bytelength of the current segment/section of buffer 501 from which data isbeing transferred. Signal XferMask indicates the number of bits in thelast byte or the lower three bits of the total transfer length (XferLen)in bits wherein the upper bits are the transfer length and can beinterpreted as the number of bytes in the transfer. Signal XferMask isused to generate a bit mask which is used with the transfer length(XferLen) to get a bit length of data. Signal XferPktBitCnt indicateshow many bits are in the current packet. Signal XferPktBitCnt is used todrive stuff-byte command and to start new packet.

Signal XferLast indicates to risc data transfer core 416 whether thecurrent section/segment is the last section to be transferred.XferLast=0 indicates the current segment is not the last segment to betransferred on this request. XferLast=1 indicates the current segment isthe last segment to be transferred on this request. Signal XferDoneindicates to VLC module 415 that the current segment of buffer 501 hasbeen transferred. If signal XferDone is received when signal XferLast islow (0) transfer of the next segment is initiated by switching signalXferSeg to indicate the next segment/section of buffer 501 from whichdata is to be transferred. If signal XferDone is received when signalXferLast is high (1), the request (XferReq) ends when the data transferfrom the current segment/section concludes.

Reference is now made to FIG. 6 illustrating one exemplary embodiment ofrisc data transfer core 416. As shown in FIG. 6, risc data transfer core416 includes latch circuits 601-606, state machine circuit 607, anddemultiplexor (demux) 608. In short, latch circuits 601-606 and demux608 combine to provide the interface between VLC module 415 and statemachine 607. Signals FrameType, VLCMode, and DCMode from VLC module 415are provided directly to state machine circuit 607. Demux 608 receivesas input a high (1) input value and as control signals signal XferDonefrom state machine 607 and XferLast from VLC module 415. Demux 608provides as outputs a first reset signal to latch circuit 601 and asecond reset signal to latch circuits 604-606. In the currentembodiment, demux 608 provides as default a low (0) output value for thefirst and second reset signals. When XferDone signal is high indicatingthat the transfer of the current section of VLC buffer 501 is completeand XferLast signal is low indicating that the current section is notthe last section to be transferred for the current data transferrequest, demux 608 passes the high input value to its output for thesecond reset signal. When XferDone signal is high indicating that thetransfer of the current section of VLC buffer 501 is complete andXferLast signal is high indicating that the current section is the lastsection to be transferred for the current data transfer request, demux608 passes the high input value to its output for the first resetsignal.

Latch circuit 601 receives from VLC module 415 signal XferReq as input,signal XferClk as a clock signal, and a signal from demux 608 as a resetsignal. In so doing, latch circuit 601 latches the XferReq signal andprovides it as input to state machine 607 until it receives a high resetsignal from demux 608. At which point, latch circuit 601 is reset and anew XferReq input is latched and provided as output. Latch circuit 602receives from VLC module 415 signal XferCmd as input, signal XferClk asa clock signal, and the output (i.e., latched XferReq signal) from latchcircuit 601 as a reset signal. In so doing, latch 602 latches theXferCmd signal and provides it as input to state machine 607 until itreceives a low reset signal from latch 601. At which point, latchcircuit 602 is reset and a new XferCmd input is latched and provided asoutput. Latch circuit 603 receives from VLC module 415 signal XferDataas input, signal XferClk as a clock signal, and XferRE signal from statemachine 607 as a reset signal. In so doing, latch circuit 603 latchesthe XferData signal and provides it as input to state machine 607 untilit receives a low XferRE signal from state machine 607. At which point,latch circuit 602 is reset and a new XferData input is latched andprovided as output. Latch circuit 604 receives from VLC module 415signal XferLen as input, signal XferClk as a clock signal, and a signalfrom demux 608 as a reset signal. In so doing, latch circuit 604 latchesthe XferLen signal and provides it as input to state machine 607 untilit receives a high reset signal from demux 608. At which point, latchcircuit 604 is reset and a new XferLen input is latched and provided asoutput. Latch circuit 605 receives from VLC module 415 signal XferMaskas input, signal XferClk as a clock signal, and a signal from demux 608as a reset signal. In so doing, latch circuit 605 latches the XferMasksignal and provides it as input to state machine 607 until it receives ahigh reset signal from demux 608. At which point, latch circuit 605 isreset and a new XferMask input is latched and provided as output. Latchcircuit 606 receives from VLC module 415 signal XferSeg as input, signalXferClk as a clock signal, and a signal from demux 608 as a resetsignal. In so doing, latch circuit 605 latches the XferMask signal andprovides it as input to state machine 607 until it receives a high resetsignal from demux 608. At which point, latch circuit 605 is reset and anew XferMask input is latched and provided as output.

State machine 607 determines from the input signals it receives thecurrent selected bit packing mode/state and carries out the appropriatedata transfer (i.e., send data to the appropriate section of memory 404)to achieve the desired bit packing format desired for that mode/state.Reference is now made to FIG. 7 illustrating some of the relevant statesin an exemplary embodiment of state machine 607. Starting in adefault/initial state in which state machine 607 generates its outputsignals (e.g., XferDone, XferRE, etc.) that when combined with othersignals such as XferLast cause latch circuits 601-606 and demux 608 tobe reset and/or go into their default state. From this default state,state machine 607 monitors signal XferReq to determine if there is arequest of a data transfer. If signal XferReq is deasserted (low)indicating that there is no pending data transfer request, state machine607 remains in the default/initial state. Conversely, if signal XferReqis asserted (high) indicating there is a pending data transfer request,state machine 607 monitors signal VLCMode to determine the selectedmode. If signal VLCMode has the binary value 00 indicating that thedesired mode format is bypass, state machine 607 goes to state bypass.If signal VLCMode has the binary value 01 indicating that the desiredmode format is VLC non-data partition or h.263, state machine 607 goesto state VLC non-data partition/h.263. Finally, if signal VLCMode hasthe binary value 11 indicating that the desired mode format is eitherVLC data partition or RVLC data partition, state machine 607 goes tostate data partition.

If state machine 607 is in the bypass state, state machine 607 nextmonitors signal FrameType. If signal FrameType has the binary value of 0indicating that an intra (I) frame is involved, state machine 607executes a bypass-I data transfer in which data from buffer 501 vialatch circuit 603 is sent to a predetermined address in the encodedbitstream buffer of memory 404. The amount of data to be transferred isindicated by the XferLen signal. Knowing the starting address and theamount of data to be transferred, the bit pointer is updated to reflectthe current memory address in memory 404. The bypass state involvessimple transfer commands without any adjustment (e.g., no byte align orstuff byte commands). In addition, state machine 607 monitors signalXferCmd to determine the corresponding command provided via latchcircuit 602 and performs the data adjustment as dictated by the command.For example, if signal XferCmd has the binary value of 000, the data istransferred with no adjustment. As another example, if signal XferCmdhas the binary value of 001, the data transfer is performed in which thewrite operation is completed on the current byte boundary with zerosadded to the end of the current byte regardless of the XferLen signal.The bit pointer is updated to reflect the added zeros. Descriptions ofother exemplary commands have been provided earlier. FIG. 8A illustratesan examplary data storage structure in the encoded bitstream buffer ofmemory 404 at the conclusion of a bypass-I data transfer. At theconclusion of a bypass-I data transfer, control is reverted back to thebypass state and subsequently to the default state for potential newtransfer.

In the bypass state, if signal FrameType has the binary value of 1indicating that an inter (P) frame is involved, state machine 607executes a bypass-P data transfer in which data from buffer 501 vialatch circuit 603 is sent to a predetermined address in the encodedbitstream buffer of memory 404. The amount of data to be transferred isindicated by the XferLen signal. Knowing the starting address and theamount of data to be transferred, the bit pointer is updated to reflectthe current memory address in memory 404. The bypass state only involvessimple transfer commands without any adjustment (e.g., no byte align orstuff byte commands). FIG. 8A is also used to illustrate an exemplarydata storage structure in the encoded bitstream buffer of memory 404 atthe conclusion of a bypass-P data transfer because the data storagestructures for bypass-P and bypass-I data transfers are identical. Thedata (e.g., header, text, DC, etc.) involved is not VLC coded for bothbypass-P and bypass-I data transfers. State machine 607 monitors signalXferSeg to determines the segment/section of VLC buffer 501 from whichthe current data is being transfer. State machine 607 monitors signalXferLen to determine the length (amount) of data to be output by thecorresponding section of buffer 501. At the end of a data transfer for asection, state machine 607 asserts XferDone signal. At the end of a datatransfer for a section, state machine 607 monitors XferLast signal todetermine whether a macroblock data transfer is complete. In addition,state machine 607 monitors signal XferCmd to determine the correspondingcommand provided via latch circuit 602 and performs the data transfer asdictated by the command. Descriptions of exemplary commands have beenprovided earlier. At the conclusion of a bypass-P data transfer, controlis reverted back to the bypass state and subsequently to the defaultstate for potential new transfer.

If state machine 607 is in either the VLC non-partition state or h.263state, state machine 607 looks up the VLC codes and executes a datatransfer in which data from buffer 501 is sent to memory 404 in thefollowing fashion: frame header data (72 bits for VLC and 50 bits forh.263 mode) generated separately by VLC module 415 is first sent to apredetermined address of memory 404, header data from the virtual header1 data section of buffer 501 is then sent to a subsequent predeterminedaddress of memory 404, texture data corresponding to the macroblocks ofa first packet from the virtual texture data section of buffer 501 isthen sent to another subsequent predetermined address of memory 404,packet header data (119 bits for VLC and 29 bits for h.263 mode)corresponding to a second packet generated by VLC module 415 is thensent to yet another subsequent predetermined address of memory 404,header data from the virtual header 1 data section of buffer 501 is thensent to a yet subsequent predetermined address of memory 404, texturedata corresponding to the macroblocks of the second packet from thevirtual texture data section of buffer 501 is then sent to a yet anothersubsequent predetermined address of memory 404. The data continues inthis pattern. Knowing the starting address, the amount of data to betransferred, and other adjustments required in the corresponding command(e.g., byte align, stuff bytes, etc.), the bit pointer is updated toreflect the current memory address in memory 404. FIG. 8B illustrates anexamplary data storage structure in the encoded bitstream buffer ofmemory 404 at the conclusion of a VLC non-data partition or h.263 datatransfer. At the end of a data transfer for a section, state machine 607asserts XferDone signal. State machine 607 monitors signal XferSeg todetermines the segment/section of VLC buffer 501 from which the currentdata is being transfer. State machine 607 monitors signals XferLen andXferMask to determine the length (amount) and mask of the data output bythe corresponding section of buffer 501. At the end of a data transferfor a section, state machine 607 monitors XferLast signal to determinewhether a macroblock data transfer is complete. In addition, statemachine 607 monitors signal XferCmd to determine the correspondingcommand provided via latch circuit 602 and performs the data adjustmentas dictated by the command. Descriptions of exemplary commands have beenprovided earlier. Finally, in response to signal XferLink, state machine607 monitors the addresses of the memory locations in the encodedbitstream buffer of memory 404 that store the packet start (e.g., frameheader or packet header) and packet end by identifying and sending thesepacket start and packet end addresses to a predetermined locationreferred to as a link list in the encoded bitstream buffer of memory404. In so doing, the link list can be used like an index to locate anyparticular packet. At the conclusion of a VLC non-data partition orh.263 data transfer, control is reverted back to the bypass state andsubsequently to the default state for potential new transfer.

If state machine 607 is in the data partition state (VLC or RVLC), statemachine 607 monitors signal DCMode to determine the location into whichDC coefficient data is being inserted. If DCMode signal has binary valueof 00 (i.e., Intra type I-frame mode), state machine 607 inserts DC datainto a predetermined (e.g., predetermined address) Header 1 section ofthe encoded bitstream buffer of memory 404. In this case state machine607 looks up the VLC or RVLC codes and executes a data transfer in whichdata from buffer 501 is sent to memory 404 in the following fashion:frame header data (72 bits for VLC and RVLC data partition mode)generated separately by VLC module 415 is first sent to a predeterminedaddress of memory 404, header data from the virtual header 1 datasection together with DC data from the DC data section of buffer 501corresponding to a first packet are then sent to a subsequentpredetermined address of memory 404, header data from the virtual header2 data section of buffer 501 corresponding to the first packet is thensent to a yet subsequent predetermined address of memory 404, texturedata corresponding to the macroblocks of the first packet from thevirtual texture data section of buffer 501 is then sent to anothersubsequent predetermined address of memory 404, packet header data (119bits for VLC and RVLC data partition mode) corresponding to a secondpacket generated by VLC module 415 is then sent to yet anothersubsequent predetermined address of memory 404, header data from thevirtual header 1 data section together with DC data from the DC datasection of buffer 501 corresponding to the second packet are then sentto a subsequent predetermined address of memory 404, header data fromthe virtual header 2 data section of buffer 501 corresponding to thesecond packet are then sent to a subsequent predetermined address ofmemory 404, texture data corresponding to the macroblocks of the secondpacket from the virtual texture data section of buffer 501 is then sentto a yet another subsequent predetermined address of memory 404. Thedata continues in this pattern. Finally, state machine 607 insertsDC_marker (19-bit fixed value of 0x06b001) at the end of the lastmacroblock of each data packet if DCMode is 00. For each section,knowing the starting address, the amount of data to be transferred, andother adjustments required in the corresponding command (e.g., bytealign, stuff bytes, etc.), the bit pointer is updated to reflect thecurrent memory address in memory 404. At the end of a data transfer fora section, state machine 607 asserts XferDone signal. State machine 607monitors signal XferSeg to determines the segment/section of VLC buffer501 from which the current data is being transfer. State machine 607monitors signals XferLen and XferMask to determine the length (amount)and mask of the data output by the corresponding section of buffer 501.At the end of a data transfer for a section, state machine 607 monitorsXferLast signal to determine whether a macroblock data transfer iscomplete. In addition, state machine 607 monitors signal XferCmd todetermine the corresponding command provided via latch circuit 602 andperforms the data adjustment as dictated by the command. Descriptions ofexemplary commands have been provided earlier. In response to signalXferLink, state machine 607 monitors the addresses of the memorylocations in the encoded bitstream buffer of memory 404 that store thepacket start (e.g., frame header or packet header) and packet end byidentifying and sending these packet start and packet end addresses to apredetermined location referred to as a link list in the encodedbitstream buffer of memory 404. In so, doing, the link list can be usedlike an index to locate any particular packet.

FIG. 8C illustrates an examplary data storage structure in the encodedbitstream buffer of memory 404 at the conclusion of the data transferfor DCMode=00. It is to be appreciated that under the data partitionmode, each section of the encoded bitstream buffer of memory 404 isdesigned to store the associated data for each packet in contiguousmemory locations. For example, in section Header 1+DC, the Header 1 dataand the DC coefficients for a first packet are stored adjacent to theHeader 1 data and the DC coefficients for a second packet and so on. Atthe conclusion of a DCMode=00 transfer, control is reverted back to thebypass state and subsequently to the default state for potential newtransfer.

If DCMode signal has binary value of 01 (i.e., Intra type P-frame Mode),state machine 607 inserts DC data into a predetermined Header 2 sectionof the encoded bitstream buffer of memory 404. In this case statemachine 607 looks up the VLC or RVLC codes and executes a data transferin which data from buffer 501 is sent to memory 404 in the followingfashion: frame header data (72 bits for VLC and RVLC data partitionmode) generated separately by VLC module 415 is first sent to apredetermined address of memory 404, header data from the virtual header1 data section of buffer 501 corresponding to a first packet is thensent to a subsequent predetermined address of memory 404, header datafrom the virtual header 2 data section together with DC data from the DCdata section of buffer 501 corresponding to the first packet is thensent to a yet subsequent predetermined address of memory 404, texturedata corresponding to the macroblocks of the first packet from thevirtual texture data section of buffer 501 is then sent to anothersubsequent predetermined address of memory 404, packet header data (119bits for VLC and RVLC data partition mode) corresponding to a secondpacket generated by VLC module 415 is then sent to yet anothersubsequent predetermined address of memory 404, header data from thevirtual header 1 data section of buffer 501 corresponding to the secondpacket are then sent to a subsequent predetermined address of memory404, header data from the virtual header 2 data section together with DCdata from the DC data section of buffer 501 corresponding to the secondpacket are then sent to a subsequent predetermined address of memory404, texture data corresponding to the macroblocks of the second packetfrom the virtual texture data section of buffer 501 is then sent to ayet another subsequent predetermined address of memory 404. The datacontinues in this pattern. Finally, state machine 607 insertsmotion_marker (17-bit fixed value of 0x01f001) at the end of the lastmacroblock of each data packet if DCMode is 01. For each section,knowing the starting address, the amount of data to be transferred, andother adjustments required in the corresponding command (e.g., bytealign, stuff bytes, etc.), the bit pointer is updated to reflect thecurrent memory address in memory 404. At the end of a data transfer fora section, state machine 607 asserts XferDone signal. State machine 607monitors signal XferSeg to determines the segment/section of VLC buffer501 from which the current data is being transfer. State machine 607monitors signals XferLen and XferMask to determine the length (amount)and mask of the data output by the corresponding section of buffer 501.At the end of a data transfer for a section, state machine 607 monitorsXferLast signal to determine whether a macroblock data transfer iscomplete. In addition, state machine 607 monitors signal XferCmd todetermine the corresponding command provided via latch circuit 602 andperforms the data adjustment as dictated by the command. Descriptions ofexemplary commands have been provided earlier. In response to signalXferLink, state machine 607 monitors the addresses of the memorylocations in the encoded bitstream buffer of memory 404 that store thepacket start (e.g., frame header or packet header) and packet end byidentifying and sending these packet start and packet end addresses to apredetermined location referred to as a link list in the encodedbitstream buffer of memory 404. In so doing, the link list can be usedlike an index to locate any particular packet.

FIG. 8D illustrates an examplary data storage structure in the encodedbitstream buffer of memory 404 at the conclusion of the data transferfor DCMode=01. It is to be appreciated that under the data partitionmode, each section of the encoded bitstream buffer of memory 404 isdesigned to store the associated data for each packet in contiguousmemory locations. For example, in section Data/Texture, the Data/Texturefor a first packet is stored adjacent to the Data/Texture for a secondpacket and so on. At the conclusion of a DCMode=01 transfer, control isreverted back to the bypass state and subsequently to the default statefor potential new transfer.

If DCMode signal has binary value of 10 (i.e., Inter type P-frame),state machine 607 inserts DC data into a predetermined separate DCsection of the encoded bitstream buffer of memory 404. In this casestate machine 607 looks up the VLC or RVLC codes and executes a datatransfer in which data from buffer 501 is sent to memory 404 in thefollowing fashion: frame header data (72 bits for VLC and RVLC datapartition mode) generated separately by VLC module 415 is first sent toa predetermined address of memory 404, header data from the virtualheader 1 data section of buffer 501 corresponding to a first packet arethen sent to a subsequent predetermined address of memory 404, headerdata from the virtual header 2 data section of buffer 501 correspondingto the first packet is then sent to a yet subsequent predeterminedaddress of memory 404, texture data corresponding to the macroblocks ofthe first packet from the virtual texture data section of buffer 501 isthen sent to another subsequent predetermined address of memory 404, DCdata corresponding to the macroblocks of the first packet from thevirtual DC data section of buffer 501 is then sent to yet anothersubsequent predetermined address of memory 404, data packet header data(119 bits for VLC and RVLC data partition mode) corresponding to asecond packet generated by VLC module 415 is then sent to yet anothersubsequent predetermined address of memory 404, header data from thevirtual header 1 data section together with DC data from the DC datasection of buffer 501 corresponding to the second packet are then sentto a subsequent predetermined address of memory 404, header data fromthe virtual header 2 data section of buffer 501 corresponding to thesecond packet are then sent to a subsequent predetermined address ofmemory 404, texture data corresponding to the macroblocks of the secondpacket from the virtual texture data section of buffer 501 is then sentto a yet another subsequent predetermined address of memory 404, and DCdata corresponding to the macroblocks of the second packet from thevirtual DC data section of buffer 501 is then sent to yet anothersubsequent predetermined address of memory 404. The data continues inthis pattern. Finally, state machine 607 inserts no marker if DCMode is10 (i.e., Inter type P-frame) at the end of the last macroblock of eachdata packet. For each section, knowing the starting address, the amountof data to be transferred, and other adjustments required in thecorresponding command (e.g., byte align, stuff bytes, etc.), the bitpointer is updated to reflect the current memory address in memory 404.At the end of a data transfer for a section, state machine 607 assertsXferDone signal. State machine 607 monitors signal XferSeg to determinesthe segment/section of VLC buffer 501 from which the current data isbeing transfer. State machine 607 monitors signals XferLen and XferMaskto determine the length (amount) and mask of the data output by thecorresponding section of buffer 501. At the end of a data transfer for asection, state machine 607 monitors XferLast signal to determine whethera macroblock data transfer is complete. In addition, state machine 607monitors signal XferCmd to determine the corresponding command providedvia latch circuit 602 and performs the data adjustment as dictated bythe command. Descriptions of exemplary commands have been providedearlier. In response to signal XferLink, state machine 607 monitors theaddresses of the memory locations in the encoded bitstream buffer ofmemory 404 that store the packet start (e.g., frame header or packetheader) and packet end by identifying and sending these packet start andpacket end addresses to a predetermined location referred to as a linklist in the encoded bitstream buffer of memory 404. In so doing, thelink list can be used like an index to locate any particular packet.

FIG. 8E illustrates an examplary data storage structure in the encodedbitstream buffer of memory 404 at the conclusion of the data transferfor DCMode=10. It is to be appreciated that under the data partitionmode, each section of the encoded bitstream buffer of memory 404 isdesigned to store the associated data for each packet in contiguousmemory locations. For example, in section Frame Header, the Frame Headerfor a first frame is stored adjacent to the Frame Header for a secondpacket and so on. At the conclusion of a DCMode=10 transfer, control isreverted back to the bypass state and subsequently to the default statefor potential new transfer.

An embodiment of the present invention, a method and apparatus to packVLC video data in different formats that require less memory, processingresources, and synchronization, is presented. While the presentinvention has been described in particular embodiments, the presentinvention should not be construed as limited by such embodiment, butrather construed according to the below claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A memory interface comprising: a buffercomprising a plurality of sections, wherein each section of saidplurality of sections is associated with a respective category of data;a memory; and a data transfer logic coupled to said buffer and saidmemory, wherein said data transfer logic is further operable to transferdata from said buffer to said memory, wherein said data transfer logicis further operable to access said data from a first set of saidplurality of sections responsive to a selection of a first format, andwherein said data transfer logic is further operable to access said datafrom a second set of said plurality of sections responsive to aselection of a second format.
 2. The memory interface of claim 1,wherein said data transfer logic is further operable to perform anadjustment on said data, wherein said adjustment is selected from agroup consisting of a byte-aligning and a byte-stuffing.
 3. The memoryinterface of claim 1, wherein said data is accessed from a MPEG-4Variable Length Coding (VLC) device.
 4. The memory interface of claim 1,wherein said plurality of sections of said buffer are selected from agroup consisting of a first header section, a second header section, adata/texture section, a DC section, and a packet header section.
 5. Thememory interface of claim 1, wherein said first format is selected froma group consisting of bypass-I, bypass-P, VLC non-data partition, RVLCnon-data partition, and data partition, and wherein said second formatis selected from a group consisting of bypass-I, bypass-P, VLC non-datapartition, RVLC non-data partition, and data partition.
 6. The memoryinterface of claim 1, wherein said memory is partitioned based upon aformat selected from said first format and said second format.
 7. Thememory interface of claim 1, wherein said memory comprises partitionscorresponding to a set of said plurality of sections selected from agroup consisting of said first set and said second set.
 8. A systemcomprising: a processor; and a graphics controller coupled to saidprocessor and comprising a memory interface, said memory interfacecomprising: a buffer comprising a plurality of sections, wherein eachsection of said plurality of sections is associated with a respectivecategory of data; a memory; and a data transfer logic coupled to saidbuffer and said memory, wherein said data transfer logic is furtheroperable to transfer data from said buffer to said memory, wherein saiddata transfer logic is further operable to access said data from a firstset of said plurality of sections responsive to a selection of a firstformat, and wherein said data transfer logic is further operable toaccess said data from a second set of said plurality of sectionsresponsive to a selection of a second format.
 9. The system of claim 8,wherein said data transfer logic is further operable to perform anadjustment on said data, wherein said adjustment is selected from agroup consisting of a byte-aligning and a byte-stuffing.
 10. The systemof claim 8, wherein said data is accessed from a MPEG-4 Variable LengthCoding (VLC) device.
 11. The system of claim 8, wherein said pluralityof sections of said buffer are selected from a group consisting of afirst header section, a second header section, a data/texture section, aDC section, and a packet header section.
 12. The system of claim 8,wherein said first format is selected from a group consisting ofbypass-I, bypass-P, VLC non-data partition, RVLC non-data partition, anddata partition, and wherein said second format is selected from a groupconsisting of bypass-I, bypass-P, VLC non-data partition, RVLC non-datapartition, and data partition.
 13. The system of claim 8, wherein saidmemory is partitioned based upon a format selected from said firstformat and said second format.
 14. The system of claim 8, wherein saidmemory comprises partitions corresponding to a set of said plurality ofsections selected from a group consisting of said first set and saidsecond set.
 15. A method of processing video data, said methodcomprising: accessing a selection of a format; in response to selectionof a first format, accessing data from a first set of a plurality ofsections of a buffer, wherein each section of said plurality of sectionsis associated with a respective category of data; in response toselection of a second format, accessing data from a second set of aplurality of sections of a buffer; and transferring said data to amemory.
 16. The method of claim 15 further comprising: performing anadjustment on said data, wherein said adjustment is selected from agroup consisting of a byte-aligning and a byte-stuffing.
 17. The methodof claim 15 further comprising: accessing said data from an MPEG-4Variable Length Coding (VLC) device; and storing said data in saidbuffer.
 18. The method of claim 15, wherein said plurality of sectionsof said buffer are selected from a group consisting of a first headersection, a second header section, a data/texture section, a DC section,and a packet header section.
 19. The method of claim 15, wherein saidfirst format is selected from a group consisting of bypass-I, bypass-P,VLC non-data partition, RVLC non-data partition, and data partition, andwherein said second format is selected from a group consisting ofbypass-I, bypass-P, VLC non-data partition, RVLC non-data partition, anddata partition.
 20. The method of claim 15 further comprising:partitioning said memory based upon a format selected from said firstformat and said second format.
 21. The method of claim 15 furthercomprising: partitioning said memory to include partitions correspondingto a set of said plurality of sections selected from a group consistingof said first set and said second set.